The Party
United Artists | Release Date: April 4, 1968 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Sellers works. He develops a character and plays it, for better or worse, for the whole movie. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineWes Greene
The comically rich visual tapestry of Blake Edwards’s The Party still endures. Read full review
70
The DissolveScott Tobias
Whether Edwards intended it or not—and his inclusion of hippies in the third act points to yes—The Party seems keyed into the spirit of ’68, with the house representing the upending of old money and hidebound tradition. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJ. Hoberman
It’s the tension between Sellers’s inane tact and the general tastelessness of his surroundings that gives the movie its zing. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert Rohwer
[Sellers] pulls off the physical comedy, which ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous, with ease. [03 Jan 1991, p.7]
67
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
Veteran slapstick fans may get a kick out of the free-form antics, and the party's chaotic ending is suitably memorable, but empathetic viewers are likely to be as uncomfortable with Sellers' improv as the partygoers he leads into havoc. Read full review
60
BBCStella Papamichael
A mischievously rib-tickling tale with a stupidly simple premise: Sellers plays an uninvited guest at a Hollywood party who loses his shoe and talks in a dodgy Indian accent. Read full review
60
EmpireDan Jolin
Very dated farcical comedy but Peter Sellers is charming despite the anachronistic character-humour. Read full review
60
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Quite a few very funny moments, but one doesn't laugh so much as admire the ingenuity. Read full review
60
The New YorkerPauline Kael
It's too long for its one-note jokes, and often too obvious to be really funny. But it's agreeable in tone, though as it goes on, the gags don't have any particular connection with the touching, maddening Indian character that Sellers plays so wickedly well.
40
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
The script quickly runs out of gas thanks to the one-joke story line and Blake's uninspired direction. Read full review
More From This Movie

64 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL